Burners are used in applications requiring a heat source, such as in cooking and heating systems. A burner typically includes a porous surface, or plate having an array of holes packed in high density. The burner plate can be made of a material that will transmit heat through infrared radiation, such as ceramic or a metal material. During operation, a mixture of gas and air flows through the holes in the burner plate and is ignited at the exiting surface of the ceramic plate. The combustion of the gas-air mixture takes place at the burner plate surface and partially in the pores of the plate. After the gas-air mixture ignites, the burner plate quickly reaches a temperature at which the heat radiates from the plate surface.
Mixing of the air and gas for combustion in a burner can be carried out under atmospheric pressure or at a higher pressure. The ratio of air-to-gas for efficient combustion can be determined according to a type of gas being used in the burner. For instance, the required air-gas ratio for natural gas fuel is about 10:1, the ratio for propane is about 24:1, and the ratio for butane is about 37:1. However, it can be difficult to initially ignite the air-gas mixture and to carry the flame over the surface of the burner plate in an even or uniform manner, especially when the burner is starting from a “cold” state, and especially when using combustible gases having a higher heating value per unit volume than natural gas, such as butane/air, propane/air and propane at reduced pressure.